Haggling on a 2nd hand car

MrSmartprice

You just don't get it, do you, flea. I do have respect for a good salesman, but I know I can still outsmart him. I don't mean just car salesmen. I just know how they work and use it to my advantage, whereas they know nothing about me.

As for the time investment, it is an important point. Once the seller has invested time in a test drive, negotiations etc, you know he doesn't want the buyer to walk. Especially if it is to another dealer. As for making the prices cheaper for everyone, pull the other one! All deals are negotiable, but I'm sure some mug punters pay for the deals the smart ones get. I've seen it for myself when looking at dealers' records.

Dealers do compete against each other for business, that's what commerce is all about. If you let customers walk without giving it your best deal you are either useless or idle. Either way I wouldn't want to employ you! You know as well as I do how competetive the car trade is. MSE gives plenty of advice for punters.

Our recent experience was very positive. Dealers were interested in selling us a car. We looked at other brands, including Toyota, Fiat and VW too, and the standard of salesman does seem to have improved in recent years. I think that out of respect we were very fair, and let each one know when their make was ruled out. 3 of the 4 Citroen dealers wanted the deal, and the best one got it. As I have said, he was a grand better on the deal, so he deserved it. But I'm sure he didn't lose on it, did he?

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Didn't end up buying the puma I was looking at. Dealer was too busy trying to out smart me, by trying to baffle me with my part-ex and discount on the vehicle. If I'd have agreed on the deal he wanted, he'd have got my car for next to nothing. I realized what he was doing, and deceided against the car. Actually been a weight off my mind to be honest. Already the car was gonna cost me £600 more on my insurance. I have a budget and need to stick to it unfortunatly.

flea72

MrSmartprice wrote:

If you let customers walk without giving it your best deal you are either useless or idle. Either way I wouldn't want to employ you!

Why not employ me? - as a salesperson it doesnt matter how much i try to get the customer a good deal, i actually have no say in what they actually pay. That is all down to the sales manager, if he wont budge on the price so i get a sale, then thats my tough luck, as well as the customers

I dont see how that makes me useless or idle, other than the fact that i could work elsewhere, rather than opting for the easy life i have with my current employer.

But needs must, and i actually work for a dealership that are 'good guys', and are totally honest with the public about p/x values, interest rates, etc., and as a company would rather let people walk away, than use hard sell tactics. Suprisingly, we have few walkers, and those that do, tend to be back within 12m, saying what a mistake they made buying from ..... down the road.

Flea

Exemplar

Well, just to prove a point, I let a guy walk at the weekend as he said he could get a better deal at our competitors 15 miles away. Yesterday he came back and bought a car, why? Well we did not slag off the competition, we had the car he wanted, not in the right colour but we could sort that, we didnt hassle him, we were honest and non pushy.

the_devil_made_me_do_it

Can someone please explain something. How come if a customer offers to put their car in for part ex, against a more expensive car, why won't the dealer also take money off the car you want to buy off them?? Hope that makes sense